Method of making heels.



E. B. WINKLEY & J. 0. SMITH.

' METHOD OF MAKING HEELS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1908.

Patented Dec.22,1914

:ems'ros simmers Aim sonar c.

METHDD EYXAKENG HEELS.

Application filed his .29, 1502.

To all whom it may concern: it known that we, Ensures E. W

.mr and Joiner C. SMITH, citizens of he United States, lBSldlIlg ct Lynn, 1n the be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others sln'lled in the art to which it ,appertains to maize and use the same.

This invention relates to a method of making heels in multiple, and more particularly to making heels in multiple which, when finished, will be similar in appearance to heels made from series of lifts, (linked out singly and then assembled. In order to obturn a pitch and yet save stock, the hits are dinked out in graded sizes and assembled with the smallest on the top or tread end.

The term heel is used indiscriminately by persons skilled in the art of making shoes 833d parts thereof, when referring to indirldual heels, to indicate either a shaped heel, that is a heel prepared for application to a soled shoe, or a rough heel, which is hereinafter, for convenience, termed a heel hloclr, hat is a heel ready for the shaping operzr n. It is to be understood that the term -o l is thus used throughout this specificstion.

The method of making heels from a series of roded lifts (linked out singly, While on ebling the operative to approximate the pitch'desired to be obtained Without a later trimming is slow and laborious as the heels must be made singly. Also the large number of cutting dies required in the making; is expensive, and furthermore in or; I the lifts u greater waste of stock than is c irable is incurred.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of making heels which, while preserving the advantage of producing a heel having initially the desired. pitch, also allows of less Waste of heel stock material than incurred in making heels formed from (linked out lifts. The method of the present invention also effects :1 soving of time as the heels are made in multiple instead of singly which is distinctly aircutogjeous. These ad antages are particularly oi value when making heels from the Epccificatlor. of Letters Extent.

. ,8 Euteutcd Dec, 7232, 1914:.

Serial I30. $35.873S.

cheaper heel stccc: leather.

materials other than ctised in connec- :l( m 12.1 of any churec'ter but pref .hly some such material as leether-liiosrd, or an analogous leather or paper composition, used. For convenience in nomenclature the hecl-stock material, of whatever character, will hereinafter be referred to as leatherboerd, simply. As a commercial article this leatherooard is supplied in sheets of comparatively large area,

approximating the area of the hides used by leather manufacturers, and of a thickness, approximating the thickness of sole leather.

In the preferred manner of practising the invention a suliicient number of sheets of commercial leetberbourd are superposed on each other to make heels of the desired height, and said sheets'are secured together in any convenient manner, producing e. heel-forming block to be out up into a multiplicity of heels of equal height. Before being cut up the heel-forming block may if desired czmveniently be laid out for cutting into so 'urate heel blocks, as by marking with ilferent series of lines extending parallel to the sides of the block. The lines of one series may be spaced apart a distance equal to the added mean lengths of two pitched heels, While the lines of another series running in another direction may be spaced apart a distance about equal to the width of a heel. In each of the spaces between each two lines of the first series there may be placed another parallel line so located as to leave on one side, between it and the adjacent parallel line, a space sufficient for the length of c heel-tread face, and on the other side a. SPRCQ suilicient for the length of e heel-seat face. The heel- .r'orming; block may he severed on the first two series of lines described, by cutting at right angles to the surface of. the block, but the severanceon the third series of lines described znoy be oblique to the surface of the l1ecl-forming,block. The obliquity of the last named out. when so mode, may be such that the heel-forming block is finally separated into a large number of single heel blocks of angular formation, having, however, one lateral face of each heel block cliomiered or beveled oil in a manner to provide the pitch of the heel. The single heel blocks thus produced are then shaped, at the back, or beveled side, to a rounded surface the rounding of the heel requiring only the cutting away of the small portions at the is such however that it has racticall no grain or long fiber and for this reason, in trimming it to shape, the surface being cutis liable to tear out, thus impairing the smoothness of the surface and spoiling the article being operated on. In rolling the sheets of leather-board the pressure on material hardens it for a short distance in ward from the two surfaces and thus brings the surface particles of the composition into intimate contact, the correlation being such that this} portion of the material can be readily out without tearing out. If then, a number of quite thin sheets of leatherboard are used in building up the desired height of heel, throughout the heel height there will be portions of the composition formed of two of these hardened'surfaces in contact thereby providing at short intervals a surface that can be trimmed without being torn out. The effect is to strengthen the entire lateral surface of the heel, so that it can be successfully shaped without danger of spoiling its surface.

Although excellent results can be obtained by shaping or trimming with a cutting stroke acting in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the sheets for ing the heel block, it is preferred that the cutting stroke be in a direction transverse to the planes of said surfaces or across the lifts. vihen cutting in this direction the liability; to tear out the lateral surface is minimized owing to the substantially continuous extent of hardened material in the path of the stroke of the cutter.

The present invention consists in the method of making heels in multiple, the wri er-red manner of practising which is hereinafter described and defined both broadly and. in detail in the appended claims.

The invention may readily be practised hand u any convenient form of hand flutter, or, Fund desirable, suitable power actuated devices may be used.

The invention will be most readily understood a reference to the accompanythe 1 into which the elongated block of Fig. 2.

is separated; Fig. 4: shows a perspective of one of the multiplicity of single angular.

heel-blocks finally produced from a severance ofthe heel-forming block of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 shows one of the angular heel-blocks of Fig. which has been shaped to a rounded surface at the back; Fig. 6 shows a perspective of one of the shaped heelblocks of Fig. 5 after having been compressed; and Fig. 7 is a cross-section of a series of sheets of leatherboard illustrating the hardenedsurfaces produced by rolling the leatherboardinto sheets.

In the preferred method ofpractising the invention, a plurality of sheets of leatherboard Z are superposed on each other face to face, and are secured together-in any convenient manner, for instance bynailing .at intervals, but preferably by gumming the sheets and applying sufficient pressure to cause them to adhere to each other. The heel-forming block, indicated generally by A, may then be marked for cutting into single heel-blocks. In theevent that the heel-forming block is marked the preferred manner of marking is illustrated in Fig. 1,

and, as there shown, three different series of lines are used. The firstseries of lines, indicated by a a a, extend parallel to each other and also parallel to two opposite sides of theheel-fo'rming block. These lines are sp iced apart at a distance about equal to the mean lengths of two heels for a reason which will hereinafter appear. The second series of lines, indicated by b b b, extend parallel to each other and also parallel to the other two sides of the heel-forming block, therefore extending across the lines a and at right angles to said lines. The third series of lines, indicated by c c 0, extend parallel to the lines a. Each of the lines 0 is so spaced between two of the lines a that there is left on one side, between the line 0 and the adjacent line a, a space or face (I suilicient for the length of a heeltread face, and on the other side a space or face 6 sufficient for-the length of a heelseat face.

The heel-forming'block A may be marked for cutting, and then severed, in any suitable or convenient manner to produce the single heel blocks shown in Fig. 4. In one menses mode itis severed first alone the lines ;\Yi1l0ll will produce :1 number of elongated.

clocks B, shown in Fig. 2, each of a Width, as before stated, equal to the mean lengths of two heels. The next step in the produo tion of sing. e heebblocks may be the severance of the elongated block B by a central longitudinal out to divide it in halves. The longitudinal cut mentioned is along the line 0 on said block, and the plane of such out is prefer-ably oblique to the surface of the sheets "of leather-board used in building up the heel-forming block. The obliquity of the out on the line 0 is such, that when the elongated block B is severed, there is left on the face of said block opposite the face (Z a face 7 of a width suliicient for c heel-sect face, and opposite the face c a. face 5, of u width sutiicient for a heel-tread face. A severance of the elongated block B on the line 0 and in the oblique plane indicated will therefore produce two blocks similar to the block C of Fig. The obliquity of the cuts on the lines c not only provide for the pitch of the heel, but also effect a greet saving of material. It is obvious that where the cuts on the lines o are made at z'l lit angles to the surface of the sheets of leatherboard, it would be necessary that the elongated blocks B be of a width equal to the combined length or two heel-seat faces instead of 1ncrel* the mean lengths of two heels,

and that, except for heels of a limited pitch, a. large amount of material would be Wasted in trimming the heel blocks thus produced in a manner to obtain the desired pitch. In the next step, each of the blocks C is setered, in any suitable or convenient manner, on the p rtions 01 the lines 7) extending transversely across said blocks forming finally the single heebblocks D of angular fori'nation, shown in Fig. l.

The pressure placed upon the shoots of lcatherboord has been merely suflicient to cause said. sheets to adhere to each other, and lr not been sufficient to compress the sheets t"" the manner in which the heel bla rom clinked out heel lifts tore they are incorporated s desirable, however, that the on such a compression beiz'icorpcrated in a shoe. is it owing to the angular formation single heel-blocks D, they cannot be pi d in. a heel-compressing machine until th y have been shaped to some extent to the general form of a commercial heel-blank. The next step, therefore, in the manufacture this method is to shape or tie lateral faces of the backs of the heelbiorlzs 0 a. rounded surface This may be done by rimming on the clotted line b Fig. -l, v-r R produces the rounded buck I ,1 g g, 1 snr sce zudiczneu at in Fig. 5. The Leelblocks after shaping are ready to-go toe heel-compressing machine having the crab nary form of (lies, such, for instance, as that shown in the patent of E. A. Tripp, No. 176,875, of December 6, 1904. This machine proper-1y compresses the shaped hcel-block shown in Fig. 5, and its dies are formed in such manner as to produce a commercial neel-blenk E, such as shown 111 F1 6, having a heel-seat j, a conceve'latera surface manufacturers to suit their individual requirements. The heel-blank E is thereafter manipulated as is usual with heel-blanks made by any other method, in the steps of incorporating in the shoe and finishing.

The composition of leatherboard isisueh that it is difiicult to trim Without tearing out" owing to the lock of grain or longfiber in. the composition used in making the leatherb 1rd. in rolling leatherboerd material into thin sheets, the surfaces of the sheets are somewhat hardened, as indicated by m in Fig. '7, and this hardening renders much .rnore certain a cutting of the leetherboarct which willleave a smooth surface. When the th n sheets of leatherboerd ere'placed face to face, as in building up-the heelefornr ing block A, two of the hardened surfaces m are brought in contact at intervals throughout the height of the block. With thin sheets the intervals are very short and there is formed practically a continuous hardened surface through the heelforming block from top to bottom. Therefore, when trim mine, a smooth surface is more apt to beobtained by cutting with a stroke acting transversely to the surfaces of the sheets of Lcatherboerd than if the cutting stroke acted parallel to said surfaces, for the reason that in the latter case there would be continuous streaks of hard and softer substance, the latter of which may tear out and thus spoil the surface being cut. In shaping the single heel-blocks D, therefore, by trimming on the dotted lines b, they are preferably trimmed with. a cutting stroke acting transversely of the heel-seat and tread-face of the heel-block, and across the lifts formed by the severed portions of the sheets of leatherboard. Excellent results can be obtained, however, when using the thin sheets of leatherboard, by cut-ting in a direction parallel to the surface of the sheets.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it not at all necessary LO the practics of the method of making heels herein described to mark the heel-forming block prelllnnnary to the cutting operation. Nor is 1t necessary to cutthe heel-forming block of Fig. 1 or the block of Fig. 2 exactly in sponding to the simple, and enables the heels to be produced with greater economy, While yet retaining in the product the more desirable qualities of heels manufactured from the {more costly materials.

VVhat-is claimed as neW,is: v

1. The method of making heels in multiple which consists in building up a .heelforming block by superposing on each other a plurality of thin sheets of heel stock ma- 'terial, securing said sheets together, then cutting through said block on right lines in severing said heel-forming block into trapezoidal prisms-forming single heel blocks by 1 planes transversevto the surfaces of said block, a portion of said cuts extending obliquely tosaid surfaces to provide the pitch of thez-heel, and then shaping said single heel blocks to a'rounded surface at the por- '-.tion of the heel formed by the oblique cuts.

2. The method of making heels in multiple "which consists in buildingv up a heel- 40 forming block by superposing gn each other a-plurality of thin sheets h'eel stock ma-' terial, securing said sheets together, 1 then severing said heel-forming block intotrapezoidal-prisms forming singleheel blocksaby cutting through said blockxon right line'sinfv planes transverse to the surfaces of said block, a portion ofsaid cuts extending obliquely to said surfaces to provide the pitch of the heel, and then shaping said single heel blocks to a rounded surface at the portion of the heel formed by the oblique cuts by trimming with a cuttingstroke acting transversely of the planes of the upper and lower faces of said blocks.

3. The method of making heels in multi ple which consists in building up a heelforming block by superposing on each other a plurality of thin sheets of heel stock material, securing said sheets together, then severing said heel-forming'block into a plurality of elongatedblocks of a Width equal to the. added mean lengths of tWo pitched *heels, then severing each of said elongated blocks in halves by a central longitudinal cut in a plane oblique to the surfaces of said sheets, then-severing each of the halves so formed into single heel blocks by transverse cuts, and then shaping to a'rounded surfac'efthe beveled, lateral faces of said single heel blocks, formed by said oblique cuts.

4:. The method of making heels in multi-' ple which consists in taking a sheet of heel stock material of extended area and of a.

thickness equal to the desired height of heel,

severing said sheet into trapezoidal prisms l fOI'IIHDg single heel blocks by cutting there through on right lines in' planes transverse to the surfaces of said sheet, a' portion of said c'uts' extending obliquely to said surfaces to form the heel pitch, and then Shep-- ing to a rounded surface the beveled, laterah. faces of said single heel blocks,f formed by said oblique cuts.

5. Themethod of making heels in multiple which consists in building up a heelforming block by superposing on each other a plurality of thin sheets of heel stock material,,secu'ring said sheets together, then I severing said heel-forming block into trapezoidal prisms forming single heel blocks by cutting through said blockv on two series of right lines extending at an angle to each other and in planes transverse to the sur-;. faces of said block, and then shaping said series of right line cuts-in planes transverse to the surfaces of the said block, forming single heel blocks, each having substantially vertical sides, a vertical breast, and a slanted Qbaek, one of said series of cuts forming the ivertical sides, a second the vertical breasts, "and a third the slanted backs, each of the back-forming cuts lying intermediate adjacent breast-forming cuts, the distance between said adjacent breast-forming cuts be-' ing substantially equal .to-Qthe added mean lengths of two heels of any given size.

' 7; The method of making heelsv in ultiple which consists .in building up a heelforming block by superposing on each other a plurality of thin sheets of heel stock material, securing said sheets together, and then severing said heel-forming block into single heel blocks, of equal size, each having substantially vertical sides, a vertical breast? and a slanted back providing the pitch 0 the heel, by a series of parallel heel-breastforming cuts: perpendicular to the surfaces of said block and spaced a art a distance equal to the added mean engths of two heels of any given size, a series of parallel In testimony whereof we affix our signaheei-pitch-ionnmg cuts oblique to the said tures, in presence of two witnesses.

surfaces each cut lying midway between ad- ERASTUS E. WVINKLEY. jacent cuts of the first series, and a series of JOHN 0. SMITH.

parallel heei-side-forming cuts perpendicw \Vitnesses: i

1211' to the said surfaces and at right angles ANNIE C. RICHARDSON,

to said first-named series. \VARREN G. QGDEN. 

